Minimalism in a Crisis

There’s an old boating safeguard of throwing cargo overboard to lighten the load of the vessel during times of distress. The official word for the cargo cast overboard is jetsam.

The throwing off of unneeded cargo or equipment can help to lighten the vessel, to stabilize it during a storm, or remove flammables during a fire.

I can remember first hearing about this practice when I was kid hearing the old story about Jonah and the whale. But this is a practice that is still used today.

I think the analogy is helpful as we consider minimalism in a crisis—the benefit of removing unneeded cargo from our lives. To be fair, this principle applies to any crisis we may be facing such as the loss of a job, an illness, or a natural disaster.

But today, allow me to address minimalism during a societal crisis. Specifically, what we’re all going through right now trying to make the sense of COVID-19.

There is a reaction that some might have during a crisis to gather as much as possible and hoard as much as they can in their homes. We can see that reaction around us as people run to the grocery store or the pharmacy, grabbing as many things as they possibly can in their cart.

But there is an opposite response to this crisis we should consider: throwing off the non-essential cargo from our lives. Rather than hoarding possessions, we would use this crisis to begin removing the ones we do not need to help us find better stability.

Why use this crisis to own less?

Let me offer five important benefits:

1. Freedom.

When we own less, we find more freedom in our spaces and we find more freedom in our life.

When our homes are filled with unnecessary possessions, the environment is constricting and frustrating. But as we declutter our spaces, our homes become calmer and more peaceful.

2. Flexibility.

Another reason we throw off non-essential cargo is the flexibility that it provides us going forward. The world is going to change, no doubt about it. Your life is going to change. Normal will be new.

Who knows what tomorrow holds? Who even knows when this storm is going to end? But when we own fewer possessions, we become more flexible for the future—whether we need to move, find a new job, or make changes in the way we live.

3. Financial stability.

As we own fewer possessions, our life costs less. It costs less to maintain our things. Even more importantly, we begin to buy less going forward. Suddenly, it is easier to find financial stability than before.

4. Benefit others.

Another reason to embrace minimalism in a crisis is because it helps us provide goods to those who need it. I realize, at this point in time, different locations have different guidelines in place for donations. But if your local authorities have deemed it safe, this is an important time to help those who desperately need it.

5. Security.

One last benefit of throwing off unneeded cargo during a crisis is that we begin to look for security in places that can actually deliver. One of the problems in looking for security in material possessions is that possessions never provide the security we desire. That’s why people start hoarding more and more and more. They believe the added items will help them feel safe, but they never do.

Instead, we can turn to friends and family and faith. We can turn to things that we know to be true about ourselves: our talents, our abilities, our work ethic. When we begin to rely on those things for our security going forward, we begin to find more lasting security in a crisis.

Now, don’t mishear me. I’m not saying it is wise to go out tonight and throw away every single thing you own.

What I am saying is this: Whether you are going through a personal crisis or societal crisis, begin to see how owning less can help bring back control of your life. Minimalism will bring intentionality. It can bring freedom and flexibility and financial stability going forward.

As you remove the items from your home and life that you do not need, you will be more stable and more equipped to weather any crisis that you may be going through.

Comments

Thank you for the great sentences.
When this crisis started, I had a chance to change my job and I and my husband moved to Seoul where is a lot bigger, expensive and noisy city. At that time, my husband quit a job and started learning computer programing that he wanted to study before.
So we had to reduce our possessions inevitably to move Seoul.
Because I had a big apartment with 4 bed rooms and one big living room before, but now I live in a studio. Our place is smaller than before but I am satisfied because I am with my husband and I can make money in this crisis.:)
Covid 19 is not the only one reason that I had to declutter things but I totally agree with your articles and always thank you to remind me the benefits of minimalism.

I am using this time of Covid 19 to downsize my possessions, organize things that really matter to me, so I can eventually rid myself of my storage unit. That bill will then be applied to my credit card bill. Once that is over, my goal is to move to Europe. It’s a long process but I’m focused on my goals with the help of these articles. Thank you for the motivation!

My wife and I use times of stress to dump debt. Especially if things are as uncertain as they are today. So we pay down as much debt as possible the “right the boat” of our finances. It is amazing how stress can disappear when a financial burden is removed from our cluttered lives. Thanks for the article. Josh. It is a reminder of our on going plan to stay afloat.

Thank you for the reminder Joshua. My home was filled with stuff and I was struggling with CFS, PTSD and GAD. With this crisis my home did not feel like a home so I did a big clear out and gave some things away to those who needed them more than me. Hoarders are not comfortable in this situation of being home all the time and often try to escape from the stuff which is around them. This situation is a good opportunity to clear and organise the home environment – which I have been doing and there is more to do but the reward is to have a clear space to think and relax as well as less things to maintain.

Thank you for all the helpful comments. I have been on this journey of downsizing and deleting for about six months and I feel wonderful about it (I am 70). I do have some fine art that I am having trouble selling. It was a big investment in some cases and I don’t know a good website or avenue where this can be sold. I am not inclined to donate it at this point because I can use the money back. Art is just hard to sell…because you have to fall in love with the piece. Thank you for any suggestions you may have.

With the current emphasis on cleaning and sanitizing to prevent the spread of germs I offer this thought ..Less stuff also means less to clean and sanitize if a member of the household gets sick. Putting things like knick knacks and stacks of papers way (even temporarily) makes room for a much cleaner home.

Couldn’t agree with you more Joshua. I wish I’d had this insight when I was young – raising my family and still in the working world. In reality, it’s easier for someone older/retired to absorb this advice; but I can only hope that this uniquely difficult time will WAKE UP people of all ages to the silver lining these days can offer. Things may never be the same again … but they CAN be better!

That’s all well and good. But what if you were in the process of downsizing and now you are stuck with a home that would sell. IF YOU COULD SELL it and weren’t on lockdown. You cannot remove that now can you. Frustrating beyond belief that the timing be this poor. I have the new house…. but alas … now I have two and all that comes along with it and a Governor that won’t let you travel between the two. Hmmmm

As usual it is an excellent article that you offer us. Beyond the points you have touched on, I would add one thing.
This is something that I could see during this period of confinement that we are currently experiencing.
I am grateful to have started my minimalism process a year ago, because being locked up in an overcrowded house would have been much more painful.
Now the house is less clutterfree, easier to maintain but also there is everything it is space that we have recovered.
Sharing the house 24 hours a day is not a problem. Everyone has their own space. It’s easier like that, isn’t it?
As you mentioned, for the financial aspect I feel less stressed, I tell myself that if we have to move to a smaller house it will be possible. The best is that I have no problem with it! Yes, minimalism is beneficial. I advise to the others, especially at this time for the many families with several children who live in apartments.

I have been taking advantage of this time at home to sort & purge. However, I don’t know what to do with perfectly usable items. I don’t want to trash them, but there aren’t any places open for donations. Suggestions?

I joined the Next Door app and my neighborhood’s Facebook page. Whenever I have something to give away, I post it as Free. I leave it in the front steps at the appointed time, and thankful people pick it up.

I appreciate you mentioning the importance of faith. These are the times to really lean into God as we are reminded how little control we have over our world. This is the time for us to relearn what is really important in life: people NOT things.

My husband developed Parkinson’s Disease and it was imperative that I remove about half our furniture so he could make his way around our home with his walker unimpeded. We love the way our home is so open and light now. Everyone says it looks bigger and it indeed feels bigger and brighter. Another example of jetsam!
Also… since donations centers are closed. I have been hauling stuff out to my parking strip with a big ‘Free!’ sign and it keeps disappearing! Be well, good people. Stay home!

With all the free time many of us nonessential workers have, one would think that decluttering would be the best use of our time and I agree. The problem many of us now have is the lack of resources to donate to. The thrift stores are closed, the consignment stores are closed, the Red Cross and Salvation Army donation boxes are closed. I am fortunate. I have a barn I have been decluttering and have kept the empty tubs to refill and stack up until things open up again. This is not the case for most people. Suggestions?

If you are able to announce your donations to nearby friends and family or your neighborhood, you might be surprised! Also try freecycle if you have it in your area. It is a free sign up where you can post freebies. Same as the free section of Craigslist or whichever site is in your area. People will stop by to pick them at a designated time and spot. Or you can drop them off. Spread the word through any organization that is able to reach people-churches etc. They can get the message out, and sometimes people are willing to pick up a whole clean out so they can go through the treasures.

I’m with you, Josh!
I’m a firm believer in being minimalist, and practice it ( and preach it😉) all the time. But during the course of “normal” life-working Etc- I tend to fall behind on stuff.
During this crisis, I’ve been off work for 3 weeks now. I’ve finally had the time to go through paperwork and other things to sort and get rid of items no longer needed.
This situation has also afforded me time to reflect on what REALLY matters in my life.
As a person with PTSD, this extra effort I’ve been given has also helped with being calmer in an otherwise stressful situation.
Thank you for all you share with us!
It really HAS made a difference in my life!

One blogger I read pointed out a possible exception–save your excess clothing. Who knows when you might be able to replace those you have worn out. Or how many you will need to turn into rags to replace the paper products you can’t buy. You can still get the excess out of your closet; just don’t be too quick to get them out of your house.

Thanks for the comment Linda. But given the fact that the average American has purchased 60 items of clothing every year for the past decade, something tells me there’s plenty of clothing that can still be removed without needing this exception.

I try to donate a big bag of stuff every week. I have one wall lined with bags and boxes ready to go. 30 years ago, when my kids were small, all their toys and clothes were secondhand. Most of my clothes are from the neighbors or my kids. They are softer. I would like to own just two pots and one frying pan. We lived in a small house and now we are in a small condo. We walked around yesterday with our masks on and I picked up pieces of plants from the ground. I took them home and hope to have plants on my balcony soon. I use empty containers as flower pots.